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Reg and the Kids

The Gallery @ Big Fat Smile is excited to be exhibiting a collection of works by the king of quirk, Reg Mombassa and the kids he inspired.

“I was delighted to hear that Big Fat Smile is having a show inspired by my work. As a child and teenager I was inspired by the work of many artists and illustrators and to think that some budding young artists are appreciating my pictures is hugely gratifying.” Reg Mombassa

Big Fat Smile presents Reg & the Kids, a unique collection of artworks by Reg Mombassa and 73 children aged between 5 and 12 years.

The exhibition, which launches on February 15th 2017, celebrates the creative process and the learning, fun and satisfaction of ‘making’ art. The selected works represent the children’s response to Reg Mombassa’s quirky and iconic style. The kids created the artworks with support from the Artspace artists at the Artspace Studio in Corrimal, as part of their term program.

Big Fat Smile wishes to thank local art collector, Scott Butler for his generosity in loaning his private collection to The Gallery @ Big Fat Smile.

Scott Butler, head of the Butler HR executive recruitment agency in Wollongong, has been a Reg Mombassa collector for seven or eight years.

He was aware of Chris O’Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa) and his artwork during the Mental as Anything period but his main reference point was the Mambo clothing.

“Board shorts and t-shirts… I was into surfing and the whole slightly rebellious thing” says Scott.

In the early 2000s he started picking up some old Mentals posters on eBay but these were already expensive, well above $100 for the rarer ones, so he decided to have a look at the original art on display at Watters Gallery. He saw a charcoal he liked and was soon collecting.

“I was drawn in by the colours, and I love pop art, artists like Warhol and Jeff Koons, but these are ones I can afford to buy.”

“I’m delighted that my collection has inspired all these children at Big Fat Smile and the chance to share these pieces and my love for art in a local gallery is just wonderful” says Scott.

“The children are very excited about this exhibition and the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional gallery alongside their artist hero” says Jennine Primmer, Big Fat Smile’s Chief Creative Officer.